


Unwritten

by sky_kaijou



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, For Discord, I've had too much coffee, M/M, Oneshot, Only rated T for a cheeky swear, Violetshipping, Whipped up in an hour, bookshop au, puppyshipping - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-10-20 12:44:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20675603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sky_kaijou/pseuds/sky_kaijou
Summary: A standard bookshop AU, where Seto likes to physically buy books and Katsuya happens to be a children's author.-For Discord. Inspired by MistressArafax and Lafeae's stories.





	Unwritten

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Arxsia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arxsia/gifts).

Kaiba stood in the doorway, weight on the ball of his foot as he decided in the split second what to do. A queue of people, mainly children, wrapped around the walls of the brightly-lit bookstore, and up to the second floor. Under the stairwell was a famous coffee chain, that at worst, Kaiba could call mediocre but consistent. He could be found guiltily buying a Soy Latte, extra shot, Tall, and in weekends, cinnamon, thank you very much.

Being the biggest bookstore in Domino City, there was always events, with little markets and book signings, but Kaiba didn’t usually mind. It was one of the few places that he could come during both a busy and quiet day and be pretty reliably left alone in the non-fiction section, perusing foreign language books, history, technology. During late evenings, he’d wander his way to the fiction section and pick a book or three for the weekend. Anywhere else, and people carelessly would encroach on his personal space and try to take candid pictures. But the shutter sound could be heard loudly over quiet turning of the pages which acted like enough of a deterrent to leave him in peace.

It’s just that, even among the light bustle of the coffee shop and kids chatting with books gripped tightly in their fists, Kaiba heard a familiar voice coming from the signing booth upstairs. There was no mistaking the excited Kansai-esque inflictions on the end of his sentences.

So, Katsuya Jounouchi had made something of himself as a children’s book author and illustrator. Kaiba hadn’t made the connection between the recently-famous series of dragon-themed picture books that was being adapted into a television series, until Mokuba had stood in his study with a hand on his hip asking if he really hadn’t picked up on the Alias “Joey Wheeler.”

“That is his English name, you dummy!” Mokuba had rolled his eyes. Even now, at twenty-one, Mokuba was just as sassy. “He just chooses to go by it when he goes to America because, you know, racism and shit. A Western sounding name for a half-guy makes the world of difference.”

Seto Kaiba had felt the wind dragged from his lungs as he noticed the name written down on the sign with an incredible chalk illustration on the blackboard to confirm his suspicions. In that moment flashed years of taunting and jesting, and Katsuya’s incredibly cheeky smile with dimples in his cheeks as he grabbed Seto by his collar and challenged him to just one more duel, just one more duel, just one more duel, until summer five years ago where he’d disappeared off the duelling scene.

So, as much as he didn’t believe in fate, he sauntered into the non-fiction section. If Katsuya ran into him, or he ran directly into Katsuya, it was just meant to be, right? Right. But if it didn’t happen, then it didn’t happen.

An hour of meticulously scanning the new releases, and almost forgetting about his quasi-encounter, Seto had ordered his coffee and was sitting in the window, book in one hand, coffee in the other. All he really needed was Katsuya to pull up the chair and it was the start of a cheesy rom…

Oh. Seto tipped his book down as he heard the scratching of metal on the concrete floor.

“Is this seat taken?”

“My answer isn’t going to change anything.” Placing his coffee cup down softly and placing a bookmark between the pages, Seto raised his eyes to Katsuya, grinning with an armful of promotional materials and spare copies of his newest release in his arms, and a takeaway coffee in his hand.

“What brings you to a place like this?” Katsuya asked, blowing his fringe out of his eyes and settling into the chair, accepting the nonchalance as enough of an invitation. Twenty-five looked good on Katsuya, who had grown handsomely into his features, but Seto shelved that fleeting thought.

“I live in Domino. I like books. Sometimes it’s nice to feel normal for a moment. Simple mathematics.”

“Ya know, you don’t need to complicate it. Just tryin’a strike up conversation.” Katsuya sighed for a moment. “You haven’t changed at all.”

“You have.” Seto finally kept strong eye contact, willing Katsuya to stay seated.

“God, I hope I have,” Katsuya laughed. “The world deserves a better version of me.”

“Straight to the self-deprecating jokes?” Seto raised his eyebrow.

“Yeah, sorry. Shoulda given you a chance to wine and dine me before I launched straight back into that. Excuse me for being so rude.”

“Congratulations on your success.” Seto motioned with his left hand to the pile of books. “As much as I’m not surprised that you’d be writing children’s stories, you’re entertaining.”

Katsuya laughed. “Yeah, seems pretty typical, huh?” Katsuya opened to the second page of his book. “Ya know, if you squint hard enough though, there’s a little bit of that Moral Education shit they teach in schools. It’s not _just_ dragons and magic.”

“Ironic of you to teach morality, Jounouchi,” Seto snorted, taking a long sip of his coffee.

“You think I don’t understand morality after scrappin’ in a gang?” Katsuya grinned toothily before mirroring Seto’s movements, bringing his own coffee to his lips. “It’s all about workin’ together, being good to everyone, sharin’, respect, consent. All that kinda stuff, but if the main character and plot is interesting ya capture an audience yeah?”

“Wow, he understood his marketing classes.”

“Graduated University, even. Who woulda thought?”

“Is that why you disappeared from Domino five years ago?”

Katsuya paused, before placing everything on the desk, and rested his chin on his hands. “Didn’t know you were countin’ rich boy, but yeah. Did what I needed to do. But I’m back now, if you want to know, or even if you don’t.”

“And your plans are?”

“I still have a lot of plot to write. I wanna flesh out characters, but I need to pull inspiration from the very place I call home. Ya know, Kaiba, ‘home’ isn’t just a place but a feelin’ and I get that feelin’ when I’m back in Domino.” Looking down at his book. “This feels like home, right now.”

Seto’s heart thumped in his throat. “Do I serve some sort of inspiration?”

“Yeah, but I’m not sure what I’m doin’ with the character who I’ve modelled after you.”

“Admitting that is going to cost you.”

“Fuck off Kaiba,” Katsuya rolled his eyes. “I ain’t payin’ you royalties.”

“I didn’t mean financially.”

“So, what did you mean then? You want me to leave? You want me to stay?”

Seto grabbed a small stack of post-it notes from his bag and jotted something down neatly. “Why don’t you tell me more about what kind of person you think I am now, and I’ll correct you, so you can write a more accurate portrayal.”

“Wow, that’s bolder than I took you for.”

“Unless I was mistaken, and your offer to have me wine and dine you was just an ill-fitting joke.”

Katsuya shook his head. “Single, my dude, at least until I convince you over dinner to finally give me a chance.”

“Finally?”

“Did you never figure it out?” Katsuya laughed. “You free at eight? I’ll go make myself look nice and you tell me where to meet you.” Katsuya grabbed his bundle of books in his arms, before reaching over and scrawling his own number down. “Now you have no excuse.” He winked before biting his lip, dimples forming in his cheeks.

Seto took a deep breath as his stomach flittered.

“Sounds like a date.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Find your girl in a Tsutaya in the weekends at Starbucks. Sure, it's an hour drive from home but it's worth it.


End file.
